SHIP CONSTRUCTION-

SHIP DIMENSIONS
 Definitions and
Ship’S DimenSionS
Hull:
The structural body of a ship including shell plating, framing, decks
and bulkheads.
Afterbody :
That portion of a ship’s hull abaft midships.
Forebody:
That portion of a ship’s hull forward midships.
Bow :
The forward of the ship
Stern :
The after end of the ship
 Length Overall

STARBOARD

Beam

PORT

bow midships bridge stern

 starboard beam

starboard bow starboard quarter

Dead ahead Dead Stern

Port bow port quarter

Port beam
Port :
The left side of the ship when looking forward

Starboard :
The right side of the ship when looking forward
 SHIP DIMENSIONS
Sheer aft Sheer fwd

freeboard
Summer load line
Amidships

Length between perpendicular (LBP)

Length on waterline (LWL)

Length overall (LOA)

Aft
Fwd
perendicular
Tumble home perpendicular
Camber

Depth

Moulded beam
Draft
Base line

Rise of
floor Half siding of keel
• After Perpendicular (A.P.): A perpendicular
drawn to the waterline at the point where the aft
side of the rudder post meets the summer load
line. Where no rudder post is fitted it is taken as
the centre line of the rudder stock.
• Forward Perpendicular (F.P.): A perpendicular
drawn to the waterline at the point where the
foreside of the stem meets the summer load line.
• Length Between Perpendicular (L.P.P. / L.B.P.):
The length between the forward and the aft
perpendiculars measured along the summer load
line.
• Amidships: A point midway between the after
and forward perpendiculars
• Length Overall (L.O.A.): Length of the vessel
taken over all extremities.
• Base line: A horizontal line drawn at the top of
the keel plate. All vertical moulded dimensions
are measured relative to this line
• Moulded beam: Measured at the midship
section is the maximum moulded breadth of the
ship
• Moulded Draft/ Draught: The distance from
the bottom of the keel to the waterline. The
load draft is the maximum draft to which a
vessel may be loaded
• Moulded Depth: Measured from the base line
to the heel of the upper deck beam at the
ship’s side amidships.
• Sheer: Curvature of decks in the longitudinal
direction. Measured as the height of deck at
side at any point above the height of deck at
side amidships
• Camber / Round of Beam: Curvature of decks
in the transverse direction. Measured as the
height of deck above the height of deck at
side
• Rise of floor / Deadrise: The rise of the
bottom shell plating line above the base line.
This rise is measured at the line of moulded
beam
• Half sliding of keel: The horizontal flat portion
of the bottom shell measured to port or
starboard of the ship’s longitudinal centre
line. This is useful dimension to know when
dry-docking.
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• Tumble home: The inward curvature of
the side shell above the summer load line.
• Freeboard: the vertical distance measured
from the waterline to the top of the deck
plating at the side of the deck amidships.
Normally exposed to weather and sea.
• Flare: The outward curvature of the side
shell above the waterline. It promotes
dryness and is therefore associated with
the fore end of ship
Extreme Beam:
The maximum beam taken over all extremities.

Extreme Draft:
Taken from the lowest point of keel to the summer load line.
Draft marks represent extreme drafts.

Extreme Depth:
Depth of vessel at ship’s side from upper deck to lowest point
of keel.

Half Breadth:
Since a ship’s hull is symmetrical about the longitudinal
centre line, often only the half beam or half breadth at any
section is given.
SCANTLING
The dimensions of the structural items
of a ship, e.g. frames, girders, plating , etc.

INTERCOSTAL
Composed of separate parts, non-
continuous
 What Is Buoyancy Force
When a body is immersed in fluid, an upward
force is exerted by the fluid on the body.
This upward force is equal to the weight of the
fluid displaced by the body and is called the force
of buoyancy.
 A ship made of iron floats while an iron
needle sinks
• In the case of ship • Incase of iron nail which
which is hollow from is compact , the weight
within, the weight of of water displaced by it
water displaced by the is much less than its
ship is more than the own weight , hence it
weight of the ship sinks
hence it floats
 Why do things float?
1. Things float if they are less dense than
the fluid they are in.

2. Things float if they weigh less than the

buoyant force pushing up on them.

3. Things float if they are shaped so their

weight is spread out.
 Density

Lowest Mass, Lowest Density, Floats

Ballast tanks

Low Mass, Low Density, Neutral

High Mass, High Density, Sink

Sub’s carry compressed air tanks to re-fill their ballast tanks
 Shape

• How can you get 50 kg of solid steel to

float? Change the shape!
CENTER OF FLOATATION
It is the center of the waterplane area and is the
axis about which a ship changes trim.

CENTER OF BUOYANCY
It is the center of the underwater volume
of the
ship where the force of buoyancy acts.

CENTER OF GRAVITY
It is the point at which the whole weight of the
object may be regarded as acting. If the object is
suspended from this point, it will remain balanced and
not tilt.
 TONNAGE MEASUREMENT
• This is often referred to when the size of
the vessel is discussed, and the gross
tonnage is quoted from Lloyd’s register.
• Tonnage is a measure of the enclosed
internal volume of the vessel, 100 cubic
feet representing one ton
• Its normally divided into categories as
follow:-
 1. Displacement Tonnage

• A ship’s displacement is the sum of the ship’s

actual weight (lightweight) and it’s contents
(deadweight).
• The metric unit of measurement is 1 tonne
(=
1000 Kg).
• The displacement represents the amount of
water displaced by the ship expressed in tonnes.
• The weight of water displaced therefore equals
the weight of the ship
 2. Lightweight Tonnage (LWT)

• The lightweight is the weight of the ship as

built (hull, machinery) including boiler water,
lubricating oil and the cooling water system.
• Lightweight like displacement is expressed in
units of tones.
• It assumes importance in a commercial sense
only when considering the value of the
vessel which is to be broken up for scrape.
 3. Deadweight tonnage (DWT)
• Deadweight is the weight of the cargo
which a ship carries plus weights of fuel,
stores, water ballast, fresh water, crew
and passengers and baggage.
• It is the difference between the loaded
ship displacement and the lightweight.
 4. Gross Tonnage (GT)
• Measurement of total internal volume of
a vessel and includes all under deck
tonnage and all enclosed spaces above
tonnage deck.

20
 5. Nett Tonnage (NT)
• Ship measurement derived from gross
tonnage by deducting spaces allowed for crew
and propelling power.
Merchant Ships
 Sea Going vessels
1. General cargo carrier
2. Dry Bulk Carrier
– Bulk carriers
– Ore carriers
– Combination carrier (OBO)
3. Liquid Bulk Carrier
– Crude oil carrier
– Product tankers
– Cryogenic liquid carrier
(LNG/LPG/Ammonia)
4. Container ships
5. Roll On Roll Off (RO RO Ships)
6. Passenger liners
Inland Vessels
• Propelled and non propelled barges (Dumb Barges)
• Passenger boats and launches
• tugboat
 Service vessels/Support vessels
• Dredgers
• Offshore support vessels
• Pilot vessels
• Ice breaker
• Research vessels
 Merchant Ships
• General Cargo Ships:
General cargo includes
items which are packed or
unpacked. They usually
have spacious holds which
occupy the larger part of
the hull.
• Bulk Carriers: Bulk cargo is
a wide term. Heavy bulk-
carriers usually transport
ore, coal and coke, building
materials, such as cement
and gravel. Light bulkers
carry grain, salt and sugar.
Liquid Cargo
• Tanker Ships: Cargo ships
constructed or adapted for
the carriage in bulk of
liquid cargoes of an
inflammable nature.
Liquid Cargo
• Liquid Petroleum Gas:
built to carry liquid gases,
either natural gases or
products of oil processing
(methane, propane,
butane), for chemical
industry; speed 12-20
knots;
Liquid Cargo
• Liquid Natural Gas: An
LNG carrier is a tank ship
designed for transporting
liquefied natural gas (LNG)
Liquid Cargo
TYPES OF SHIPS
• Chemical Ships: They
transport chemicals such
as sulfuric acid, phosphoric
acid and ammoniac.
Specialized Cargo
• Containers Ships: These
ships are classified as unit-
load ships because freight
is carried in huge boxes of
standard size (units),
usually from 10 to 40 t.
Specialized Cargo
• Ro-Ro Ships: Used for
transporting motor
vehicles and other
wheeled equipment. Ro-Ro
is short for roll-on roll-off
ships and is thus called
because cargo is carried on
wheeled containers or
trailers.
Passengers Ships
• Liners Ships: Liners sail on
one and same route (be it
through rivers, seas or
oceans) according to a
timetable.
Passengers Ships
• Cruise Ships: Their
purpose is to take tourists
to journeys.
Inland Vessels
Propelled and non propelled barges
A barge is a flat-bottomed ship, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods.
Some barges are not self-propelled and must be towed or pushed by towboats,
• Barges-Carrying Ships: This
type of ships pertains to
the category of
containerships but the
principle is slightly
different.
Non propelled barges (Dumb Barges)
Passengers Boats
• Coastwise Ships: Not large
inland-going ships which
sail close to the coast
between two or more
ports; Their seats for
passengers vary from 40 to
600.
Passengers Boat
• Yachts: crafts, propelled
either by sail or by power,
used for having fun.
• Ferrys: Designed to carry
wagons, vehicles and
passengers by serving as a
bridge between two ports,
located at the opposite
ends of rivers, bays, canals,
etc.
A launch is an open motorboat. The forward part of the launch may be covered. Prior
to the era of engines on small craft, a launch was the largest boat carried on a sailing
vessel, powered by sail or by oars
 Service vessels/Support vessels
• Dredges: These are
floating vessels used to
make sea- or river-floors
deeper (for example, this is
done when ports and
canals are built or simply
maintained).
Technical Ships
• Suction Dredges: These
crafts have a suction
device which gathers sand
from the sea floor and
carries it away with a
system of pipes to land or
to another deep place in
water which has to be
made shallower.
 Tugboat
tug (tugboat or towboat) is a type of vessel that maneuvers other vessels by pushing or
pulling them either by direct contact or by means of a tow line. Tugs typically move vessels
that either are restricted in their ability to maneuver on their own, such as ships in a
crowded harbor or a narrow canal, or those that cannot move by themselves, such as
barges, disabled ships, log rafts, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for their size and
strongly built, and some are ocean-going. Some tugboats serve as icebreakers or salvage
boats. Early tugboats had steam engines, but today most have diesel engines. Many
tugboats have firefighting monitors, allowing them to assist in firefighting, especially in
harbors.
Auxiliary Ships
• Tugboats: High-speed
vessels with an
approximate length of 60
meters, used for towing
barges and damaged ships
and taking them across
narrow canals or fairways.
Auxiliary Ships
• Push Tugs: Vessels used for
pushing an assembly of
barges; Push tugs have
very high superstructures
which allow to keep a
watch on the vessels in
front and way ahead.
Offshore support
vessels
• Heavy Cargo Ships: Heavy
cargo vessels can be
divided into: Semi-
submersible heavy lift
ships, conventional heavy
lift ships, tow barges and
dock ships. Their
construction and stability
allows them to carry
extremely large and heavy
objects.
Specialized Cargo
• Flo-Flo Ships:
Float-on/Float-off or
semisubmersible ships,
provide the capability to
load, transport and offload
outsized military cargo
independent of port
equipment traditionally
used for handling large or
extremely heavy cargo,
such as tug boats, barges,
landing craft, floating
cranes, and single anchor
leg mooring systems. Lifts
range from approximately
50 to as much as 45,000
tons.
Ships Providing
• Pilots Boats: Small vessels
that carry a pilot to a ship
and then bring him back to
the port.
Auxiliary Ships
• Icebreakers: These are
ships maintaining
navigation in winter by
leading other vessels
across ice tracks (and
breaking ice-floes).
Ships with Special
Purposes
• Research Ships: ships used
for exploring waterways,
surveying the sea bottom
and ocean processes,
locating natural resources
(petroleum, cobalt, copper,
iron, etc.) and observing
marine life.
Extractive Ships
• Trawlers: The most
widespread type of fishing
vessel; The name "trawler"
comes from "trawl" - a
fishing net which is
dragged along the sea
floor.
Extractive Ships
• Seiners: Seiners use a
peculiar kind of net (a
purse seine) which hangs
vertically in the water and
has a rope at its bottom